Former FedEx pilot nominated to airport board

TUPELO – David A. Parker, a retired former pilot and instructor for FedEx, has been nominated to the Tupelo Regional Airport board.
The City Council will vote on Mayor Jack Reed Jr.’s pick tonight. Parker would replace Jim Frerer, whose term expired March 31.
Each appointee serves a five-year term on the airport board.
In nominating Parker, Reed said he was continuing his approach to bring different viewpoints to the table.
“(Board Chairman) Ty Robinson has a marketing background; Glenn McCullough is a former mayor and former chairman of the TVA and is a frequent flyer; Fred Hill and Rockey Miskelley are bankers with business backgrounds,” he said. “We’ve had previous board members who were pilots and people with similar backgrounds, including Dan Kellum and Smitty Harris.”
Parker’s experience with FedEx – he was a telecommunications analyst with the company from 1984-1987 and a pilot and instructor from 1987-2005 – were appealing.
“It’s great to have a human asset with that kind of experience,” Reed said.
“I’ve been retired several years and I’ve wanted to contribute in some way,” Parker said. “I know a little about planes and I’ve been to a lot of airports … I feel like I can make a contribution to the community.”
Parker received a bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University in 1968 and an MBA from Mississippi State University in 1978.
After graduating from Bowling Green, he served in the U.S. Air Force and was a T-38 instructor at Columbus Air Force base. He also has been a marketing manager, owned a tennis shop and was an account manager at a couple of firms before joining FedEx.
dennis.seid@journalinc.com